Content capture methods normally focus on the capture of content from a single location in an environment. Various surfaces maybe obstructed, e.g., occluded from view, from the single image capture location. For example the back of a column may not be visible for the inside of a box may not be visible.
As environmental simulations become more realistic, users of display devices would like to be able to move in the simulated environment. For example if they stand up they may expect to be able to look over the top of a box and see the inside of the box which was not visible from a default viewing location in the environment corresponding to the position from which images were captured in the environment. Similarly if a user changes his head location by leaning to the side the user might expect to be able to peer around a column.
Unfortunately, if images captured from the single location in the environment is the only content provided to the playback device the playback device will be unable to show the previously occluded image content which a user expects to see when the user changes his location in the environment that is being simulated using the images captured from the single location in the environment. Thus, there is a need for capturing, communicating and/or using images of occluded portions of an environment to facilitate more realistic environmental simulations. While there is a need for improvements with regard to transmission as well as playback, all features and embodiments need not address both the transmit side and the playback side and features which provide improvements to either would be useful and beneficial.
From the above it should be appreciated that there is a need for methods and/or apparatus which would allow images of occluded portions of an environment to be captured and at least some portions of the images of the occluded portions of the environment to be provided to a playback device.
While not necessary or critical for all embodiments, it would be useful if one or more methods of transmitting occluded image content along with non-occluded image content to a playback device could be supported in a relatively data efficient manner.
From the above it should also be appreciated that there is a need for methods and/or apparatus which would allow a playback device to receive and/or use images of non-occluded portions of an environment along with at least some image content corresponding to occluded portions of the environment.